The Simpsons: The Complete First Season

I'm a huge fan of The Simpsons . I've watched the show since the
debut Christmas episode all those years ago, and have viewed it religiously
ever since. So going back and watching the first season is an odd
experience. It’s a little like looking at an old picture of your parents.
Sure you can vaguely recognize it as what you now see before you, but at
the same time there's no escaping the fact that it’s still damn odd and
alien, it is difficult to realize that this is really the same thing.

7 / 10 stars

Rating:3.5/5

To put it kindly the first season is patchy. There are funny bits and good
episodes, but it’s not merely trying to find its feet, it’s trying to find
its feet after downing a bottle of Popov. There are episodes that leap so
far off course that they simply become surreal. “Bart the General” and “The
Telltale Head” in particular seem to come from an odd parallel universe where
The Simpsons is a below average Saturday morning cartoon. Homer talks
like Walter Mathau with a bad head cold, Smithers is black for a few
episodes, and the characters look and act so odd that it’s simply hard to
believe.

But in the end, if it walks like a duck, and quacks like a duck, then it’s a duck,
This odd bird of a season has enough of the stuff I've come to love to
be part of the family, albeit as the red headed step kid. From Grandpa's
wistful "I never thought I'd ever again hear screams of pain or see that
look of terror in a man's eyes thank God for children!", to Lisa's saxophone
lesson from Bleeding Gums Murphy ("You play pretty good for someone with no
real problems"), Grandpa's Angry letter to TV "I am disgusted with the way
old people are depicted on television. We are not all vibrant, fun-loving
sex maniacs. Many of us are bitter, resentful individuals, who remember the
gold old days when entertainment was bland and inoffensive.", to the RV
dealer explaining that the siren is telling him "In case he went blind, not
to sell.", to the Albanian spy operating out of their tree house. It
contains loads of the surrealist humor and compelling characters that made
The Simpsons America's Monty Python with heart. There's gold in them
hills you just have to look harder than normal to find it.

So should you buy this set? If you're a true fan yes, definitely. It’s
essential. If you're just a casual viewer, you'll be disappointed. Go with
seasons 2 or 3 and you'll be happier.

8 / 10 stars

Rating:4.0/5

The disc is a pretty cool package. There's commentary on all 13 episodes by Matt Groening and different people. They're entertaining and all but not
really essential viewing. There’s Original Scripts and Animated Outtakes which are
interesting to see. An animatic which shows the progress of animation, to
the finished show. Clips of the foreign dubs of The Simpsons which
are good for a laugh. A making of documentary that is sadly out of date
(mullets abound) . Then there is the 1st animated Simpson's short which is
basically there to say "If you thought the first season looked odd you
haven't seen anything." Audio outtakes with Albert Brooks that are OK and
some original production design. All in all a nice disk.